Hush
by sekai no yakusoku
Summary: Raven can't speak to anyone but the Atlantian. The Atlantian doesn't want to speak to anyone but her. And that's actually quite alright, all things considered...until the resident Boy Wonder starts seeing green of course.
1. Chapter 1

So I know I'm working on Glass right now but there was this idea and alena-chan gave me the thumbs up. Thank you alena, dear.

Anyways I'll take this down though if you all think I'd be better off just focusing on 'Glass' since I'm kind of shaky on this one as it is.

Let me know what you think.

_If _I owned Teen Titans, I'd hand writing rights to the likes of: **The Writer you Fools, castle in the air, Cherry Jade, **and** alena-chan**

That said, I don't own it...them...and so on. So without further ado, here's:

* * *

_Hush_

Chapter One

* * *

It was a simple curse, a hex even, and she supposed she should have seen it coming. 

_Should have_, her mind spat in irritation and something exploded in the background. This was abruptly followed by a shared wail from a bionic man and a green changeling, each holding two halves of controllers in their hands, but she didn't care at the present. Oh no. She had bigger problems.

"Dude, she totally fried the—"

"—game station!"

"And the—"

"—controllers!"

"Friend Raven is, how you would say, low in the landfill?"

"Down in the dumps, Star."

"Oh, yes."

Raven was vaguely aware of the chatter but did not deign to take part in it, for whatever amount it concerned her...not that she had a choice.

Choice?

Ha.

Her eyes narrowed. Another explosion and two more conjoined wails.

That made it the game station, the controllers, and the television.

Next, the toaster...did they have a toaster? Well, if they did, it was definitely next...or maybe the whole tower.

She was in a rather foul mood; anything was possible.

"Rae, calm down," Cyborg begged. He was unplugging the toaster.

"Um, yes, we can...partake in the act of uncomfortable silence if that will be of help?" Starfire suggested and Raven sighed, deflating somewhat at the Tameranian's genuine—if misunderstanding—attempt to soothe her. It wasn't her fault after all; it wasn't any of their faults actually. She shook her head at the Tameranian and made a waving gesture before exiting the common room with an ominous sweep of her cloak as the doors closed behind her.

"...geez," Beast Boy said and kicked at the floor.

"It must be hard for her," the leader of their group finally spoke as he entered the room. "She can't talk to any of us after all; I'm not even able to communicate with her through our bond...which is weird," he added with a perplexed frown of someone unused to being mystified. Starfire winced slightly at the mention of the bond but none noticed. It was just as well. She'd always been a tad jealous of that 'thing' between the two resident birds and she did not like to think that she was glad that friend Robin could not talk secretly, internally, to friend Raven; but she was. Upset with herself, she did not notice the way Robin turned to her now, curious. "Star?"

"...oh, what?" She glanced up, caught unawares.

"You alright?" Star forced a weak smile; it wasn't her leader's fault that his supportive grin could charm the birds—one particular bird, her mind poked at her but she ignored it.

"Yes friend Robin," she nodded. "I was merely misplaced in my thinking," she explained simply and he gave her a terribly chaste kiss before going exactly where Star knew he would go: out of the common room and in the general direction of Raven's room, the other resident bird.

She sighed but did not follow.

Some things even she knew were not for messing with. And besides, Robin was her boyfriend so she had little to worry about, right? So maybe Raven was Robin's best friend, maybe they had some deeper history, but this in light of her own relationship with the leader of the titans was not so bad for the Tameranian.

For surely Robin loved her, Starfire told herself with a nod, but she wrung her hands as one might do when worried about something they could no more understand than avoid.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The boy wonder paused outside the empath's door.

Here there were choices. He could knock, probably rendering no answer, but it was the most polite way to go about it. He could unlock the door with the code and just let himself in, probably gaining him a dislodged shoulder when she would send him reeling back against the wall, but it was a sure-fire way to get in. And then of course he could call out to her, probably also rendering no answers—for several reasons now—but it was probably the best way to do it.

"Raven? Raven, I know you're in there," he said.

On the other side of the door said Raven rolled her eyes as if to say: like anyone else is ever in here, boy blunder. But she didn't say it of course.

She couldn't.

_Damn it!_ She seethed.

Robin jumped as he heard what must have been a minor explosion. Recovering quickly, he forewent courtesy and punched in the code, entering the room hurriedly. What he saw wasn't entirely unexpected but somehow he couldn't get used to the image of a perturbed sorceress standing next to a large charred space against one of her walls.

"You can sleep on the couch for now," Robin offered. She glared. He, being wiser than some gave him credit for, took a subtle and strategical step backward. Just one, but one was enough. Raven noticed and arched a brow as if to say: _scared, oh great leader_? It was well that he could read her expression when she chose to have one because at the moment they couldn't communicate through their minds. He shook his head. "Raven, come on, we're going to find out how to reverse this or fix it, whatever," he gestured with his hand and when she tilted her head to one side in exasperation, he moved much closer to her. Her lips were set in a firm line that Robin correctly guessed she would normally be doing to keep from irritably shouting at him. "Calm down, Rae; the tower's probably going to be next and then we'll all be sleeping on couches...in five different places," he said wryly. She rolled her eyes again and they glowed as she levitated a piece of chalk and wrote on the floor:

_But Robin, how? We don't even have the book anymore; it was incinerated with that godforsaken curse it...cursed ME_—here she took the time to circle the 'ME' with several angry loops before continuing on—_with and we don't even know where it came from! And no one can understand me and I sure as Hell won't be running around here with a piece of chalk behind my ear to be able to tell Beast Boy and Cyborg to SHUT UP when I could just shut them up by dropping furniture on them but that aside, Robin, how can I communicate with you when we go on missions or—._

The chalk snapped as Robin snatched it off the floor and broke it between his index finger and his thumb, a mixture of sympathy and amusement on his face. Raven scowled; why had he interrupted her rant? She had a right. And it wasn't like he actually had to _listen_ to her anyway.

"We'll find a way, alright?" he asked, turning her to face him, hand against her cheek and Raven was too steamed and too exasperated to note the gentleness with which he did so. She was entirely focused on her unpleasant predicament and at his attempt to reassure her she felt more skepticism than hope but yielded. The boy blunder's relentless optimism had saved them all more than once; if he said they would, probably, they would.

Still...

_You better_, her eyes challenged him with a slight degree of amusement and he laughed, absently running his fingers in a quick but gentle caress against her face before exiting her room with an almost conspiratorial wink. Oddly enough, he did not mean to flirt with the resident magic-user. Odder still, she didn't seem to notice that he did anyway.

That was not to last, of course, but at the moment Robin himself was blissfully unaware of his unconscious actions and Raven was equally--if less blissfully--unaware as well.

Especially at the present. At the present her foremost thought was of...well, two things: 1) calling up the spirit of whatever debased creature had left that curse _just laying_ in that old book, ready to jump out at the first person who opened it--Raven in this case--and do said spirit some severe damage in whatever way she possibly could; and 2) figuring out exactly how to say things she needed to say until she was cured.

Raven drummed her fingers on the wall absently. _This could get to be problematic_, she mused. She certainly wasn't, as noted before, going to write all her opinions down; she didn't have the patience. But who could understand her? Sure Robin had a bit of a knack for reading her but even he had his blind spots. At this thought she laughed but it died quickly as she realized she felt the bubbling feeling of laughter but could not hear it. Again she frowned.

And what was that? Smoke? Then she remembered and turned around.

She eyed the place where her bed—now a pile of ash and soot—once was and exhaled roughly. The couch was not comfortable at all if she remembered correctly. On top of that, who knew how long it would take to get another bed?

_I need some air_, she decided.

She thought about the roof but she usually went there and often someone—a certain boy wonder to be exact—would join her and she wasn't in the mood for anymore one-sided or interpretive conversations. So thinking, she rubbed her temples none too lightly and fazed through the floor and the rest of the tower to reappear out on the shore. Just as she appeared though so did another form, but this one came out of the water and at first, Raven fell back into a defensive posture. She could not see who it was; the sun backlit the character into a shadowed silhouette.

"Raven," the figure greeted and she relaxed as she recognized the voice. She waved at the Atlantian who arched a brow in question; waving wasn't the kind of thing the sarcastic empath was known for; it was a little too friendly--even with the contradictory look of pure misery on her pretty features. When she didn't say anything, he moved a little closer to continue the conversation—or attempted one anyway. "How's life with the Titans?" he asked.

No answer.

He crossed his arms; was she in that bad of a mood already? It was hardly noon.

"Are you," he paused, uncertain but unable to think of another reason, "angry with me?" Here she finally gave a reaction: a roll of her eyes as she thought: _no, idiot, of course not._ To Raven's surprise he then said, "Glad to know you think I'm an idiot and how could I have known you weren't angry with me? You weren't speaking" Aside from being mortified by his telepathy, Raven felt decently chastened as well. Of course he couldn't have known.

S_orry Aqualad, it's some kind of ancient curse or hex; whatever it is, I can't speak_, she explained dully.

"I can't imagine Beast Boy's too upset about that," the Atlantian grinned and Raven scowled but there was a smile in her eyes, for this was true. She at least could not directly injure anyone at the moment with her usual verbal barbs. Shrugging, she sighed but it was only the motion of mouth opening slightly and closing, for there was of course no sound.

_It's nice you stopped by. It's terrible not being able to say anything_, she admitted and Aqualad tilted his head to one side thoughtfully.

"I came to just say hello, but I could stay a while if it would be helpful," he offered at last and it was Raven's turn to look perplexed.

_You don't have to do that_, she answered and the handsome black-haired youth gave a short laugh.

"I've nothing pressing that needs to be done and..." he trailed off as though unsure of his next words, weighting the pros and cons before he finished, "...and also I would like to." It was vague and skirting his real reason which was closer to the tune of _'I would like to because it's you'_ but it seemed to do the job as Raven nodded in response.

_Well, thank you_, she said—or rather, thought—and there they stood, gazing levelly at each other for a while before she asked: _want to come in?_ He nodded and began to follow her but stopped before the entrance and Raven turned with a quizzical expression.

"I am not intruding?" he inquired suddenly and Raven considered it as only Raven might: with pure logic.

_I do not think they will mind; Robin thinks well of you since the incidents with Trident and so on,_ she replied as she grabbed his hand—to Aqualad's secret pleasure and out of her own combination of gratitude and impatience—and together they entered the tower.

The amethyst-eyed sorceress didn't know how wrong she really was.

* * *

Shorter than usual chapters but like I said, not even sure how I feel about continuing this one. I'm asking for honest opinions here; if it's something to scrap I won't be offended if you tell me so since I myself teeter between thinking it is and isn't. The only thing you have to include though if you think I should take it down is why. 

Of course, if you like it, let me know that too haha. I'm not ASKING for reasons to take it down, I just want to know what people really think. That's all I'm encouraging here.

Yay or nay?

-Rei

Ouch that all rhymes. I should get a legal name change.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry I have to respond to a comment made about my evident hate for the toaster:

I actually have a love for toasters...but I never have one. So I hate them...even though I really like toasted things...blah. Makes no sense.

It's a love/hate relationship between Rei and toasters.

Thank you for all the reviews! Let me know what you think of chapter two. Sorry it takes so long...school kills and I'm sick.

* * *

_Hush_

_Chapter Two_

* * *

The first thought that came to him was: _what the Hell are they holding hands for?_

He didn't say it of course, but the newly arrived telepath certainly heard it and quirked a brow at the initial greeting. Robin just barely kept from hitting himself for forgetting Aqualad could read thoughts and steeled himself to not be thinking anything that might turn into traitorous information—like how he felt when Raven and the Atlantian walked in...holding hands.

To his relief she released the hand almost as soon as she entered the common room but that she had been holding it at all was something of an annoyance to him even as he tried to pretend it wasn't.

"Friend Aqualad," Starfire greeted warmly. Raven gestured at the sea-goer briefly and shared a conversational glance with him before Aqualad translated the silence to the other titans.

"Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Robin," he waved respectively and then continued, "Raven's curse, it seems has rendered her—"

"Nicer," Beast Boy put in and yelped when the couch moved swiftly to knock him in the side. Raven smirked and the changeling quieted.

"Incapable of speaking," Aqualad finished.

"We know that," Robin replied, a little too shortly maybe because Raven arched a brow.

"Yes, well I offered to help while she is in this handicapped state," Aqualad explained further and most of them nodded—except for Robin of course whose look for some reason seemed to only darken and except for Raven who hit Aqualad's shoulder, scowling. A moment passed between them—the others were getting used to this—and Aqualad said to the glowering sorceress, "Sorry, I thought 'cursed' was just as bad as handicapped though." Her eyes narrowed and the Atlantian laughed nervously, trying to think fast of some euphemistic phrase that would appease her.

Meanwhile, Robin watched, an increasingly dour expression on his features.

But neither Aqualad nor Raven seemed to notice...yet.

"That's not necessary," he said.

That got their attentions.

"I will not be a burden to you of course; I can simply come and go each day," Aqualad offered, trying hard to read Boy Wonder's thoughts with—impressively—little success.

"Would it not be well for friend Raven to have a body with which she could also communicate in her quiet state?" Starfire asked, perplexed and Robin groaned internally.

Why was everyone so for this idea?

Why _aren't_ you, his mind asked him and he ignored it.

Meanwhile, Raven was doing thinking of her own:

_What on earth is that damned boy blunder thinking? I need all the help I can get._

There was a shattering noise and Cyborg ran to its source, peering around the kitchen window to tell them it was the sound of their blender exploding.

"Yeah dude, she needs someone she can beat on...besides me and our kitchen," Beast Boy said, rubbing his side ruefully. Cyborg shrugged and nodded his basic agreement as he disposed of the pieces of glass and plastic, which only left...

"What do you think Raven? Do you," Robin swallowed hard, "_Want_ Aqualad to stay?"

Raven nodded emphatically. _You're a quick one_, she thought sarcastically, face set in a severely perturbed fashion.

Robin gritted his teeth.

_If he's worried about where you'll stay, you can always sleep in the living room_, she said to Aqualad with a look.

"She says I can sleep on the couch," Aqualad offered.

"But that's the same place she's sleeping right now!" Robin snapped wildly. The others gave him odd stares...except for Raven who glowered very, very darkly.

_We have three_, she intoned to the telepath. _What is that idiot's problem? I can't believe he would even...that jerk. Not like he doesn't probably do his fair share of...but anyway that's not even what this is about and..._

Here, wincing, Aqualad momentarily blocked the empath's thoughts out of his mind, fearing he might be knocked down by their intensely aggravated state and noticing with renewed belief that her lessons in thought-control would be for good reason.

The way her thoughts were dashing around, she could knock down an entire country probably, what with her powers and her inability to vent even a little bit through verbalization.

"She says you have three couches...basically," Aqualad replied and they could tell he was paraphrasing for Robin's sake by the murderous look Raven was giving their resident Boy Wonder.

In fact, they could practically hear her raging questions.

Not _really_, but almost.

"Right, um, fine. Aqualad will stay with us...for a while," Robin said and Beast Boy gave a great whoop about someone new to play video games with while Cyborg immediately asked if Tram was around by any chance to work on the T-Car and Starfire went to go make the pudding of...whatever, but it was Starfire's pudding and that was all any of them ever needed to know to know what to do: steer clear.

Raven walked up to Robin, grabbed him by his wrist and led him forcibly over to the counter. This, Aqualad noticed but he was so thoroughly accosted by the other titans that he could not get a moment aside to follow.

"Raven, what—" he stopped as she picked up a pen and scribbled a very angry: what is your problem? What were you thinking?

He sighed. He didn't really know...and thought he'd be better off that way too...but how to explain...

"I just...it's hard for me to tell what is really okay with you...you know, without or bond working right, you know Rae?" he explained as sincerely as possible and it helped that there was some truth in that. He was regretful about their bond's seemingly limited capability in regards to the curse.

If _I_ could talk to her, _he_ wouldn't have to, Robin thought with mild irritation.

Raven's own anger lessened at his use of her nickname and his given explanation.

**_Stopworrying. _–— she rolled her eyes as she underlined those words and continued— _Aqualad's a great help and he'll keep me sane until this stupid fiasco is over. Just relax boy blunder. For once you don't have to have the burden of being the only one to understand me!_**

She walked away to join Aqualad, now by himself leaning against one of the three couches...waiting for her it seemed.

Robin bristled.

Maybe I want to be the only one, he thought without the wholeness of understanding and retreated to his researching lab.

He had to do some thinking.

But Robin wasn't in there even ten minutes before a familiarly light knock came at the door.

"What is it, Star?" he called through the metal.

"Robin, I was wondering if you would like to do the out-going with me?" she said with some notable reserve and he sighed. He didn't want to go much, but...maybe I should, he thought and rubbed the bridge of his nose. A headache threatened him from the shadows of the room and that made his mind up in the end.

"Sure Star, I'll be right there," he responded.

"Glorious!" she exclaimed and he heard her hurry off to grab her purse or whatever before meeting him at the door.

As he passed through, waving absently at Star who, as expected, was there waiting, he noticed the changeling at one of his games and Cyborg making a meat-tastic sandwich.

But he couldn't spot...

"Cyborg, where is...Raven?" he asked, not able to bring himself to say 'Raven and Aqualad'. The bionic man peered over the top of the gargantuan sub.

"Think she went out somewhere with Aqualad," he said and Robin would've been glad if he'd stopped there, but he didn't. "Cute isn't it? Little Rae finally opening up to someone...even if it is just out of necessity," Cyborg commented and went back to his sandwich.

Robin nodded dumbly and accepted Star's hand as they exited the tower, thinking: I always thought she was pretty open with me...maybe I was wrong.

And it was that thought that stayed with him through the pizza, movie, and moonlight stroll that ensued with the beautiful alien girl.

While that went on though, the lovely—and much quieter—empath looked at the Atlantian with some doubt.

_Are you sure about this_? She asked.

"Completely," he assured her and took her hand. Her first instinct was to pull back, but the kind way he looked at her now kept her from doing so. He really was very nice to help her and she could do worse than to trust him a bit.

_Alright_, but _if I drown, they'll know who did it_, she said at last, a foreboding sense of finality in her words and he laughed.

"Ten seconds, that's all. I promise," he said and held up his free hand as if making a vow; it so happened that it was his right hand that he used to do so.

_Just get on with it_, she huffed, still uncertain.

And they dove.

Well, Aqualad dove.

Raven kind of...pin-dropped.

But in was in, and in they both were...in the water.

She shut her eyes tightly against the sea, thus unaware of the Atlantian's combined stare of amusement and admiration; amusement at Raven's reaction to being submerged, admiration at her beauty which, in his opinion, the water enhanced in an ethereal way. Her hair flowed out behind her in divided wisps and her moon-pale skin glowed slightly with the light that reflected down into the depths of the surrounding water.

He'd always found her to be an attractive being of course, ever since that first encounter involving the Trident incident. Her intelligence greatly appealed to him as since he hailed from Atlantis, intellect was key, and her personality proved a constant source of bemused delight.

Of course, she wasn't hard to look at either, he admitted to himself, now more so than ever.

"We're here," he said after ten seconds of Raven's eyes being closed stubbornly and him leading the blind and mute girl through the rippling underwater current by the hand.

_Where is 'here'?_ Raven wondered as she recognized some of the beauty of the caves she'd seen once before.

"It's near my place, but not so small and here it is a little more open," Aqualad answered, making wide gestures with his arms and Raven marveled at the spaciousness. There even seemed to be an odd sort of sky with stars that must have really been pockets of light distributed arbitrarily from the sun.

_Incredible_, she breathed mentally and Aqualad turned to her thoughtfully.

"We can have lessons here if you like," he suggested, trying not to sound too eager. He wasn't accustomed to liking someone like he liked Raven. On the other hand, it was a nice change from the hordes of girls that seemed attached to him on a similar, if more superficial level. Where he came from, the males enjoyed the pursuit more than being pursued.

He'd thought it was much the same for earthians but changed his mind rather quickly when he was told a while back that Starfire and Robin had finally made themselves an item.

Still...this brought him to ponder on Robin's peculiar reaction to his offer to assist. He'd seemed almost jealous but had snatched all other thoughts Aqualad might have read back and stuffed them effectively back in a deeper part of his mind where the Atlantian could not get at them.

It was perhaps just as well.

Even Robin was still trying to figure things out and it wouldn't be so good to have someone else find out before him...especially not his potential competition.

_Some lessons here would be nice, but some I'd like to do on the surface since that is where I'll need to have the most control,_ she answered at last and Aqualad nodded.

"As you wish," he smiled at her.

To his delight, she gave a tentative smile back.

* * *

Thanks again, review if you can and take care all. DON'T GET SICK. IT SUCKS.

-Rei


	3. Chapter 3

EXPLANATIONS:

Raven can't hear others thoughts—at least for the sake of this story, but in any case I've only ever noted in reading some and watching some TT of both worlds that she 'senses' more than literally reads minds, which also could be an explanation. Aqualad talks to her normally just because there's no reason he shouldn't. She's not cursed with being deaf after all, just mute.

Raven: that's bad enough as it is...you...

Rei: shhhh you can't talk, remember?

The lessons they're having are in control of one's mind that Raven until now has not focused on, so intent on keeping her emotions in check, she's neglected to reassess the potential necessity of needing to have a bridle on ALL her thoughts, not JUST her feelings, hence the uselessness IN THIS CASE of meditation, which of course would otherwise be her preferred method.

All Raven's thoughts are those clumps of entirely italicized words...usually. Everyone else pretty much talks normally and when the others have thoughts they are probably not italicized for the sake of not getting them confused with dear Raven.

Hope that helps! Review please and thanks.

And now, on with the show:

* * *

_Hush_

_Chapter Three_

* * *

Now, he wasn't a stupid bird.

Oh no, he was definitely not that.

In fact he was quite the opposite.

So it was that he had discerned after no small amount of tearing his hair out—metaphorically of course, since the actuality would render him particularly unseemly as a bald walking traffic light—that he, Robin, Boy Wonder—or Blunder as Raven preferred it with a sardonic twist of her lips—and masked defender of Jump, had...a thing for the empath.

A small thing, he told himself stubbornly, for it is in this way even the greatest minds make fools of themselves, and frowned at his coffee.

Last night when he'd returned he'd waited for Raven to come back and when she had, he'd inquired about Aqualad's...kind offer. She'd dutifully filled him in, explaining that Aqualad's 'lessons' were in a mind-control that had nothing to do with meditation, more so to do with conscious and nearly supernatural control over one's thoughts. She'd also learned that any thinking she did, any ideas, could be treated not unlike arrows to be snatched back at the last second and placed carefully back in her head where they belonged before anyone—even a telepath—could glimpse them, but she did not go so far as to share that with the boy wonder. In fact, she gave her explanation with as scant information as possible because it all had to be written down, and then swept toward her room with a flick of her cloak. He was still there when she returned, book and blanket in hand, ready to spend her first night on the remarkably uncomfortable couch—one of the three—and she'd quirked a brow at him as if to say: what do you want now?

And he hadn't known what to say to the implied query, so he'd bid her goodnight and left it at that, knowing unhappily that the water-breathing superhuman would be occupying one of the other couches on nights soon to come.

Sleeping in the same room as her, his mind now threw the fact at him as he returned to the present and caught it deftly as he pushed the otherwise untouched mug of caffeinated stuff to one side.

And he turned.

It was very early and Raven had fallen asleep at whatever hour of the early morning, book still open and lying precariously on her blanketed lap, one hand draped protectively over its worn spine.

Probably it's one of her favorites, Robin mused. His thought might have woken her, so pointedly upon her as it was, because she stirred and blinked her eyes open to meet his observatory stare.

"Morning," he greeted. She nodded and closed her book, setting it gently on the table next to the television remote—now useless since the television still had yet to be replaced by an exact model, a smaller, cheaper one now playing substitute in front of it.

Dully, he noted how he missed her sarcastic monotone and a small smile crept across his face, catlike.

At this, the object of his thoughts arched a brow and he rather thought she knew exactly what he was thinking.

But he couldn't be sure, so he merely shook his head.

"It's nothing," he said and she shrugged as if to say: okay.

They'd always had a knack for 'getting' each other, especially since she'd gone into his mind to keep him from Slade...no, that wasn't right...to keep him from himself. And this brought him right back to wondering at the unfairness of the curse, that it could block such a supernatural thing as their bond but allow Aqualad's telepathic abilities seemed almost sardonic in nature.

"Breakfast?" he inquired and she nodded again, her own slow smile finally winning out and at this his became a full grin. They could understand each other maybe, if only a little.

A little was better than nothing.

He cracked eggs and made toast after he got the kettle on the stove—this was the first thing he'd done under the watchful eyes of his companion bird—and it was over this that he became so relaxed he dared to breach a rickety topic.

"I'm thinking about breaking it off with Star," he said, not lightly, but not like someone weighed down by the decision either...more like someone who finally knew what he wanted.

Raven carefully kept her jaw from unhinging.

"I'm thinking I like someone else," he added, flipping the toast—Robin made a mental note to thank Cyborg for having salvaged the toaster itself earlier on—onto a plate while his other hand poured the steaming water into a mug, tea bag already inserted. And now Raven gaped, unrestrained as he gently pushed the mug into her hands; she was not used to being dumbfounded twice in one conversation.

She decided she didn't like the feeling.

_Who?_ She asked in her head, but he did not hear her of course.

Someone else did though.

"Who what?" a voice asked cheerfully from behind her and she turned to face the approaching Atlantian, looking good as ever and equally as genial. He'd been scanned in as an 'ally' a long time ago so the tower simply let him in unannounced.

She shrugged dismissively and took a sip of her tea.

Absently, she noted Robin had even remembered how much sugar she liked before answering Aqualad with a short: _I'm not sure, but never mind_.

Of course, _if_ she had turned around to see the sour expression on her leader's face, she might have found out exactly 'who' it was he'd just referred to.

But she didn't.

Instead she intoned dryly to Aqualad: _You don't knock anymore?_

"Should I?" he grinned and she shook her head: _no, you shouldn't_.

"Ready?" he asked then and, finishing off her tea, Raven set the mug down on the counter in response.

For Robin it was all rather odd because it appeared—and certainly sounded—like the water-loving teen always spoke aloud to Raven who in return answered the only way she might, mentally. So he, the non-telepath or psychic...whatever, only heard half a conversation, but Robin wasn't of a renowned sleuth's nature for nothing and he did his best to gather all he needed to piece together the rest.

Mostly he did this with success but the next part of their conversation even threw him for a loop.

_You're sure I'll be able to better control my thoughts with these...lessons?_ Raven asked dubiously.

Aqualad laughed as he answered her, "Yes, of course."

Robin bit hastily into some dry toast to keep from scowling insanely.

_Probably_ Aqualad had only answered a question about her powers...

Munch.

Or his stay...

Munch.

Or the like.

Munch

_Probably_ he hadn't been saying 'yes' to something like a…—Robin bit down harder (munch) and swallowed the last piece of bread with some difficulty—date or such...

Raven doesn't do dates, Robin reminded himself firmly.

And this was altogether true, so he deduced the mostly platonic temperament of the exchange...if only in his own misbegotten way.

Still...

Said platonic nature seemed terribly one-sided. Robin wasn't blind after all; in fact, he saw more than most and right now he didn't like what he saw, not one bit.

For instance, he didn't like the way Aqualad looked at her, looked at Raven...didn't like it because he, Robin, recognized in it what he'd failed to notice about what lay behind his own burning gaze when it fell on the sorceress. He saw admiration, attraction...and yes, desire, saw everything he too felt.

Needless to say, the ruffled vigilante didn't like seeing it in this other person.

But the difference was that one of them was free and the other had let himself be saddled with a pretty, kind, but entirely unfit alien super heroine who unabashedly adored him.

Raven turned to wave to him before she and the Atlantian exited.

He forced himself to wave back and keep on waving when Aqualad sent him a broad smile before putting his arm at a measured distance around Raven's shoulders as they walked out.

It could've been a friendly thing too, simply a friendly thing.

But Robin knew better and allowed himself the scowl he'd choked down moments before as the pair disappeared through the mechanized doors.

"This isn't good," he mumbled to himself dourly. Raven never lets anyone touch her, his mind screamed warning signs in a brighter red than his costume. I know, I know, he shouted back and only then realized he was talking to himself internally.

The next step was probably madness but he didn't have much time to think on his (debatably) impending insanity because...

"What is not of the pleasant nature for you this morning, Robin?" Starfire flew into the room.

Robin barely repressed a sheepish 'Well...'

But he was not an unkind masked wonder...an honest one who knew what he knew when he yielded enough to open his eyes to the truth, yes, but not unkind and never to Star. So, instead he opted for another opening.

"Star, do you have a second?"

"I have many seconds, Robin," she smiled brightly and he felt his stomach lurch with guilt; had he been stringing her along? He hoped not and knew that in fact, until the light of the new situation, his feelings hadn't been untrue, more...platonic than he'd thought, but not untrue.

That did not ease his conscience though as she continued to smile at him and he sighed now.

"Thanks, mind if we...talk?" he asked and her smile dimmed, for Starfire had some idea of what 'a talk' might consist of, but she came to sit next to him anyway...oddly enough, on the couch Raven had slept on just the night before.

* * *

LOTS OF STUFF TO DO but I thought I owed you all something since you're being very nice about the supportive bit, through reviews and all, and I'm slowly getting better...I think.

Midterms suck ALMOST as much as being sick...but eh, win some, lose some, right?

Robin: Actually...

Rei: ...shut up.

Rei thanks all reviewers

Rei especially thanks The Writer you Fools, alena-chan, and of course, my dear castle in the air.

Yeah, MY castle. Heh.

-Rei

p.s. Next chapter: some fun times with Raven trying to curb her temper as she has to start from scratch with mental barriers and remember not everything can be meditated away...all the while going in and out of remembering that her 'teacher', the wonderful Atlantian, can hear her every thought.

Also, explanations for those of you who wanted them, on why Robin's got a hold on something Raven doesn't. I swear it'll make SOME sense...maybe not a lot, but eh, fanfiction-ist license?

Wow, long post script. Sorry there.

Review please. You know.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for waiting. This chapter gave me Hell. There are three other versions. I'm very sorry, I had no idea which one was not as bad as the other. Hopefully this is okay and things will pick up again next chapter.

Again thanks for waiting and do review if you can please!

Dedicated to: The Writer you Fools, alena-chan, castle in the air, and Cherry Jade

**

* * *

**

**Hush**

**Chapter Four**

* * *

Faintly Robin heard something else explode outside. He rubbed his head. Maybe he should stop them?

No that's not it, his mind chided. Stop her, it corrected and he groaned. He'd told Starfire maybe they shouldn't see each other, maybe they weren't so good for each other, maybe, maybe, maybe. But Starfire, for all her naiveté was not stupid by a long shot. The leader of the titans cringed slightly as he remembered her initial reaction.

"_It's Raven!" she cried wildly, eyes glowing. Robin felt his stomach do weird things stomachs shouldn't do. Had it been so obvious?_

"_Yes, it's Raven," he admitted. If she'd seen right through him already, what point was there to put up another curtain between them by saying otherwise?_

"_Why?" Starfire asked, sadly, and yes angrily too. She had a right. _

"_I can't answer that," Robin said after some seriously bloody mental debate with himself. _

"_You think Aqualad will take her!" Starfire guessed and Robin was beginning to wish the Tameranian wouldn't be so on the money about everything suddenly when most of the time she was so far off that it was hardly relevant._

_It was disconcerting. _

"_I think Aqualad has feelings for Raven," Robin said and rubbed his temples. "Star, I'm sorry. I love you, I do, but it's not love like the kind..." he trailed off._

"_Like the kind you feel for her," Starfire filled in, unable to say her 'friend's' name. _

"_No, I didn't say that," Robin cut in and the Tameranian tilted her head to one side, genuinely confused now, anger seeping out of her as understanding took its place._

_Naturally, she was a kind girl after all. Still... _

"_But then..." she left the question in the air. _

"_I do not know if I love Raven," Robin said, knowing full-well he was attracted to the literati but not at all certain of what lay beyond it except that it out-spanned what he felt for the beautiful alien by a long-shot, for better or for worse. He'd sort those things out later if he could, for now he had to simply cut some ties._

"_And yet you know you do not...love me?" Green eyes threatened tears, but not high-school girl sobs, just sad ones...hurt ones. He looked away. Guilt was crashing down around him without meeting her stare. _

"_Not in the way you want me to," he said and then steeled himself to meet Starfire's gaze again, telling himself to suck it up. He was leader here; he owed it, especially to someone like Star, to be direct in such a matter. "I cannot be unfair to you Star. You should know the truth: I do care for you, but I would not lie once I knew the extent of my feelings." And for all his internal posturing, his eyes fell again from hers, clouded and disgusted with himself for his unintentional charade of feeling._

_She lifted a hand to trace his jaw. _

"_I think you are worried, friend Robin, that I do not like you any more after this," she said and he didn't fail to notice the old customary 'friend' return as a prefix for his name—something she had dropped when they began first to date. _

"_I am," he said softly. _

"_Do not worry friend Robin," she said and kissed him on the cheek. "Let me know though, friend Robin, when you find that someone you want to love you as I wanted you to love me," she requested._

"_Of course Star, you'll be the first to know," he said automatically even as part of him kicked himself for it. _

And that's how it had happened.

Another something exploded outside and Robin considered for the second time going out to call a halt to Raven's lessons with the Atlantian as he stirred his coffee, thoughtful and just a little more than confused.

Raven.

He knew he was attracted. He knew that. Who wouldn't be? Curves that could kill, was that the saying?

Maybe he'd made it up.

Well she _does_, his mind snickered and he scowled at his uncontrolled hormones. Those jerks, he thought blandly. Make everything so difficult!

He sighed.

Another explosion came on the sigh's heels.

And he stood to go to the roof. Maybe he should clear his head...and maybe he could catch a glimpse of the 'lessons' going on down below while he was up there...damage control, or whatever.

Two birds with one stone.

He grimaced at the cliché and poured the rest of his coffee into the sink before he set off towards the stairwell to the top of Titans' Tower.

On his way there was yet another explosive noise.

"Shit, what _are_ they doing!" he muttered and hurried on.

---------------------------------------

"Now just _concentrate_...Raven?"

_I am!_ The empath fumed...silently of course.

Something blew up in the distance, making a definitive amalgamation of crashing, banging and shattering.

_DAMMIT!_

Aqualad winced.

Lessons could have been worse so far.

They could have been better too.

He sighed.

Raven wasn't used to not being able to control every aspect of her person—thoughts and all—so when she failed to order them effectively for a consecutive five times, she became rather...

Irate.

Yes, that's the word.

_DAMMIT!_

Something ELSE exploded in the distance. What was that the sixth or the seventh? He'd lost count some time ago.

"Maybe we should call it quits for the day?" Aqualad suggested, trying to keep the reluctance out of his own voice; he didn't want Raven any more aggravated than she was but he was loathe to separate from her before he had to. All of their focusing had been on the lessons today and so far he hadn't even been able to subtly edge in any companionable conversation.

Of course, maybe that was a good thing.

She'd made it rather clear how she felt about people touching her when he'd made the presumptuous mistake of putting his arm around her. It was a friendly gesture as he'd meant it, maybe to become more some other day, but it didn't matter how he'd meant it then or another time. Fact was, Raven Roth did not like human contact—or Atlantian or Changeling or Bionic man or Tameranian contact for that matter.

It was one of those unwritten rules you tried not to break for fear of lightning striking you down on the spot or being tossed headlong into a foreign dimension where the only company you had were the metal spikes sticking through your middle.

He winced again but managed to eye the irritated sorceress with a little amusement now. She stood, arms crossed, hood thrown back and her brow was knit in the way of one too long confused by the same stupid phrase in a cross-word puzzle.

"Raven?" he said a little louder. Maybe she hadn't heard his suggestion.

The mental sigh she sent his way told him otherwise.

_How long is this supposed to take?_ Her mutinous look had dulled to something along the lines of frustrated. The Atlantian empathized. Even for he who had been raised to train his thoughts as such had had difficulties. It must be harder for one used to focusing all control on emotions but able to let the thoughts connected run amuck.

"It varies really but—"

_It can't vary! I have to do this now!_ She snapped in his mind, her words zinging like arrows. _If I don't I can't fight! I'm useless_!

Now he understood a little more and Aqualad did his best not to take Raven's hand in his or something like that, knowing that unlike others, she would probably only shy away from it...or toss him off the roof—where they'd decided to have their lessons that day.

She was afraid, he sensed. And just as quickly as he sensed that, he also sensed she would not want him to know that. He put it aside.

"You are not useless, my friendly, neighborhood empath," he teased and this won him a scowl instead of the desperate look she'd worn seconds before. This pleased him and he continued, "You will probably learn faster than most. Robin knows this already, this mind-blocking, which is odd because he is human, but I gather his mentor had something to do with being particularly 'guarded' on all fronts."

Here they shared a secret smile, one maybe a little wider than the other, but both had upward curves to their lips.

_But I can't do anything, even if I do master this thought-training...I can't control my power! _She flung out her arms, hands aglow slightly with the familiar power but not anywhere near the force to reckon with she normally concocted.

He considered.

"Maybe with the thoughts all restrained, you might be able to direct your abilities through telepathy like mine?" he suggested. Raven's eyes widened, surprised.

_One can **learn** telepathy? I thought you had to be born with such things. _She uncrossed her arms though, a little hopeful now in spite of herself.

"Not exactly," Aqualad said and Raven stepped a little closer, interested. "You're doing it now," he added with a smile.

_But how could I control it? I don't even think I'm using telepathy so much as you're reading my mind!_ She puzzled on this with her brow knit, frustrated, and Aqualad must have stepped closer to her too; they were barely a foot apart.

Neither noticed though...not really.

"That I do not know, but in time, we will probably be better able to gauge the likelihood...but since you're able to do some semblance of it now without training, it's more than likely you'll have that as an option from hereon out, however long it takes you to get your voice back," Aqualad said somewhat apologetically. He felt bad for not being able to give her a more positive or helpful answer.

But he wouldn't lie. It wasn't in his nature. And besides, Raven would wouldn't buy it anyway...a lie.

_Then I guess I should try again._ Raven thought, resigned, and he nodded in encouragement, a slight incline of his head, no more.

He was beginning to understand that the girl in front of him was all about subtlety.

"Now focus," he instructed simply and they resumed their lessons.

Or they would have.

The door to the top of the tower swung open.

"Raven?" the masked vigilante was caught off-guard. He'd though they'd taken their lessons out on the shore; they had left through the front door after all. Then he slapped his forehead—mentally of course. Raven had probably teleported them up to the roof. That was one power she didn't need her mantra for.

"Robin," Aqualad said and Robin felt some kind of angry growl in his chest that suspected the Atlantian was greeting him for both himself and the nonverbal empath beside him. She nodded at him.

"So...how's it going?" he tried to be cryptic, feigning ignorance of the previous multitude of obvious blasts from earlier.

Explosions in the background and a fixed look of impassiveness on Raven's face told him his pretense had been duly noted.

And of course, seen right through.

He laughed—a little mixture of is inherent confidence and unusual nervousness. A silent _and_ annoyed Raven was quite possibly more dangerous than an annoyed vocal one—at least she gave some warning then.

"Well enough," Aqualad answered and Raven turned her glower on the water-wielding titan, to Robin's relief, among other things. Aqualad however, just shot her a dangerously charming grin, one that Robin himself had thrown Raven's way once or twice

But it was somehow different now, the exchange being between her and the Atlantian rather than her and him, him being Robin of course.

And the masked boy wonder—or blunder as some might have it—was vaguely aware of his jaw clenching as it tended to do whenever his expression became rather forced. So engrossed in controlling his own confounding emotions, he barely noticed when Aqualad's stare turned back on him and the Atlantian said:

"Robin, is something wrong? Raven says you have _that look_."

She _would_ read him like a book, he mused dryly and only just held back a laugh.

"Nothing, just checking on how things were going," he lied seamlessly but felt the skeptical gaze of a certain sorceress on him all the way back through the door to the tower.

* * *

Review, and so on with a please and a thank you, as always.

(smiles and runs off to do that OTHER midterm paper...IT NEVER ENDS! AHHHHHHH)

-rei


	5. Chapter 5

Super huge thank you to everyone who has given me the time of day by reading this little whatever it is...haha. Super extra enormous thank you to those who have read and reviewed. You know they mean a lot to me, more than I can say!

They really motivate me and make my day a lot better. So like I said, thank you so much!

For those asking, if it's not there already, this is indeed one of those AqualadxRavenxRobin things...Triangle-ish to a T.

I've decided to hopefully clear some confusion, _**RAVEN'S**_ thoughts/speaking through her mind shall all be _**BOLD AND ITALICIZED.**_  
Anyone else's 'thoughts' including _Aqualad_'s telepathy will simply be _italicized _as in all my other fics, to keep life a little bit more simple.

Okay then, without further ado:

This chapter is dedicated to: The Writer you Fools, alena-chan, castle in the air, and Cherry Jade...their stories are wonderful! Even if **raexrob** is not your thing, their plot and prose is something to behold, so give it a chance if you have some extra time. If **raexrob** IS your thing uh...what are you doing here? Go read theirs.

_

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_

_Hush_

_Chapter 5_

* * *

Raven considered the boy wonder, sitting at the counter, sipping his coffee. 

This would not have been an unusual picture, but for the fact that it was the ripe old time of 10:49.

Coffee at _this_ hour?

She arched a brow that went ignored because, as she'd gathered moments earlier, dear Robin was pointedly not looking at her or in her general direction. Reclining thoughtfully on the couch, Raven lay relaxed with her arms behind her and after another five minutes or so of scrutinizing sighed.

Fine, if he wanted to be stubborn...

Oh she knew how to handle him when he got like this.

A rare grin lit in her eyes as she quietly set to work, right behind him, remaining on the couch, all her preparations hidden from him in any case by the back of the couch, just her eye peering over it at the inscrutable back of his head.

Robin sipped at the lukewarm coffee.

He _hated_ lukewarm coffee.

Who wouldn't?

And on an awkward afternoon such as this, it only tipped of the berg of it all. He was well aware of the pair of violet eyes boring into him like two homing lasers, well aware that she was trying to read him. Stiffening, he tried to make his posture more rigid, if possible, which it wasn't because of his tendency to slouch at the counter. Elbows lax on its top and one hand with the coffee mug, his position didn't change much as he all but sulked.

Aqualad had gone back to the ocean for a short while, to reconvene with whomever down below, and then said he was to go to Titans' East to make sure they knew of his whereabouts and why.

And that had left them alone, just the two birds—the others gone out for reasons ranging from clothes shopping to video gaming.

So there he sat, sipping coffee at—he looked at the clock on the wall—11:04 now.

But he realized the presence of eyes delving into him had disappeared and, irrepressibly interested, he moved to turn on the barstool to check if she had fallen asleep...

...only to get hit in the face with an airplane.

Blinking, he watched as it fluttered to the ground.

Right.

A _paper_ airplane.

"What the Hell was that for?" Robin got up, stalking over to Raven, who had the fixed look of someone trying very, very, very hard not to smile.

Casually she aimed and threw another paper missile at the bridge of his nose.

"Gah!"

**_Contact_**, her eyes danced as Robin batted the flimsy paper away, now mimicking one of Raven's coined expressions of the arched brow mixed with a 'you better explain yourself, or else' stare.

She barely repressed a smirk. She knew her own stares well enough.

"Raven..." he began, but stopped as she held up a hand and mouthed a sentence to him. Robin sighed. "What?" She tried again, moving her lips slower this time.

And like a dutiful student, Robin focused on them.

Problem was, somewhere in between resolving to try and read lips and starting to actually do it, Robin forgot all that as he inched closer, vaulting over the back of the couch to settle next to the empath. Now less than a half a foot apart, the boy wonder did indeed concentrate on reading dear Raven's lips.

But he also wondered about another way to read them.

Maybe this was how he could decide...no...figure out, how he felt.

_You know how you feel_, some voice said rather tiredly but Robin being Robin, he ignored it.

He leaned closer and Raven stopped trying to mouth to him what she meant.

Meanwhile, dear Raven's expression faltered from smug to perplexed as she carelessly poked Robin in the chest to get his attention, not realizing she already had it in full.

**_Earth to boy blunder_**, she intoned mentally.

To her disconcert, he simply grasped that hand with one of his own.

**_Robin...? _** She thought she should move, pull her hand back, demand an explanation for what on earth he was doing...whatever that was.

And she might have.

But the doors opened with their trademark mechanized whir and she and Robin turned their gazes towards it. Aqualad stood there wearing a most peculiar expression, a repressed grimace perhaps.

"Am I interrupting?" he inquire, polite as always, though noticeably more terse than usual, his ebony eyes focused quizzically on Robin's hand clasping Raven's.

Noticing him noticing, Raven withdrew her hand and shook her head at the Atlantian.

**_No, you're not. _**She placed both of her hands carefully in her lap. Aqualad tilted his head to one side dubiously.

_Yes, you are_. Robin's thinking was of course otherwise.

"Alright..." Aqualad said, uncertainty evident as much as the unwillingness to question either of the uncomfortable birds right out. But not all interrogations had to be out loud and his stare moved soon from Raven, who he proffered a short smile, to Robin, who he proffered nothing of the sort. The feelings, as some might say, were mutual, as Robin did his best to match the expressionless expression.

And that was something to behold.

Robin sitting, still unnecessarily close to Raven in Aqualad's opinion; Aqualad standing almost in the attitude of having caught someone doing something they shouldn't, to Robin's irritation. Just where did the ocean-going titan get off making him feel guilty for exploring a curiosity?

It wasn't like he wasn't doing the same thing, the leader of the titans thought, annoyed, as he continued to hold Aqualad's stare, neither willing to yield, neither willing to admit what was obvious to both of them.

But not so obvious to the empath between them, who for all her cleverness and intellect, could not fathom the reason for what seemed to her to be their uncalled for antagonism. Born a half-demon, raised with the destruction of two worlds in her life, past and present, seen as nothing better for too long than a criminal herself, Raven was no more capable of understanding her own beauty than accepting it.

So she sat there, eyes trying without success to exact what information she could from the two silent superheroes, eventually rolling her eyes in temporary defeat.

About to stand to leave the pair to their increasingly vexing staring contest, Raven paused as the doors opened again, this time giving way to Starfire—looking somewhat calmer than the last time Robin had seen her, a couple grocery bags in hand—and the other two titans—Cy and BB, a stack of technology magazines and new video games in arms, respectively.

"Ah! Friend Aqualad," Starfire smiled brightly, nodding at him as she passed him into the kitchen. She failed to notice—luckily—Cyborg and Beast Boy making motions at Robin behind her back that seemed to signify the cutting of throats, severe indigestion and much upset about the five or six grocery bags Star had brought in.

Apparently she'd accepted Robin's decision...and was now making the Pudding of Friendship. As they had recently cleaned all 'blue fuzzy things' from the refrigerator—'Thank Azar' Raven's comment had echoed them all—Star had decided to compensate with a slew of extra 'special' ingredients.

Such delightful things as shiitake mushrooms, instant raspberry JELLO, anchovies, some unidentifiable things she insisted were edible since they came from the grocery store—at which point Raven felt like pointing out that they sold other quite inedible things, like toothbrushes...and Clorox.

But she couldn't, so she didn't even have to bite her tongue to stop from saying it.

Aqualad heard her thought however, and rendered a good-natured chuckle, which caught her attention and she flashed him the tiniest of grins, almost a paradox, but not quite, because a smile such as the one she gave him was so bright, it could not be described in any other fashion.

This Robin saw.

"Ahem," Robin coughed, dragging his attention by the scruff of its neck from the quiet sorceress's exchange with the Atlantian and back to the dire situation all of them found themselves now in. "Uh, Star," he began and approached the kitchen where the others could already hear the sounds of their demise...er...dinner, being prepared.

Cyborg sported an unusual pallor and Beast Boy seemed more a light mint shade than his normal vivid grass green. Raven, for her part, was simply glad they had all come in when they did.

Aqualad and Robin had been acting, as Starfire had taken to saying: 'just plain freaky.'

Or at least weird.

Thoughtful, she decided to question both of them...but later.

Presently, she turned her amethyst eyes on the kitchen scene as Starfire piled an assortment of measuring cups and a mixing bowl and spoons and the like into poor Robin's arms as he tried to dissuade her from her culinary endeavor.

"And we shall need three cups," she said and put three different cups into the bowl already in Robin's hands. She'd taken careful notes to change her Tameranian measurements to earth ones the last time she'd made a native dish...which was quite a while ago as each of the other titans could thankfully vouch.

But all good things must come to an end...or something like that.

"Star—"

"And two teaspoons," she continued, blissfully engrossed with the task at hand as she missed Robin's defeated sigh and added, "And..." she paused here, brow furrowing. Peering around the towering pile of kitchen accessories to smile at Robin's faltering profile, she said apologetically, "Friend Robin what is the conversion on earth for a Vorklark and half a Blorgnaut?"

A _what_ and a _what_?

Across the room Raven arched a brow, as did Aqualad and, turning to each other, each noticed the similar expression and they laughed—Raven silently of course, but her inner laughter came through in spiraling waves to the telepath and he reveled in it. Perhaps now, her disposition so lightened, would be a good time to ask her to walk with him? He would like that, not a lesson or a mission, just some time with her...with Raven.

Yes, he would like that.

"Gah!" Robin's foot must have slipped on something and amidst the clattering and clanging of things hitting the kitchen tiles, there were also quite a few thuds and clunks as even more of those things hit various parts of Robin on their way down to the floor. He groaned. Starfire yelped in concern. Cyborg shook his head with a rueful smile, looking up from his mechanics brochure momentarily. Beast Boy, quite taken with his new game, did not notice, but it wasn't really his fault and it wasn't like Robin would have particularly desired for the changeling to witness this less than dignified moment in his life. Eyes widening, Raven levitated over hurriedly.

Aqualad followed, irked that Robin's fall had come at exactly the moment he'd been about to ask Raven to join him on the roof, or elsewhere for a talk, irked, because some part of him—a part greener than Beast Boy's skin, if he was honest with himself—felt that indeed the boy wonder must have timed his accident just right, in time to thwart his efforts.

That was silly of course, the Atlantian conceded grudgingly just as fast, but still.

It was clear the leader of the titans had a thing for the empath.

But hadn't he been dating Starfire?

What was he doing moving in on Raven?

Was he moving in on Raven?

"Friend Robin, are you alright? Is your body of the aching? Have you the sight of many small birds circling your head? How many Garvlorks does it take to make a Beezlenark?" the frantic alien circled Robin, bobbing up and down in concern. Robin was simply trying to figure out what on earth—or rather, on Tameran—a Garvlork was and indeed, how many it took to make a...what was it...Beexlernork? He couldn't ever keep those names straight, no matter how hard he tried.

He'd made a pretty valiant effort during their relationship to learn to understand some Tameranian, though not speak it, which was harrowing to even think about. He was about to tell Star it was okay and that if she would please give him a little more space he would try and get to his feet, but someone beat him to it.

A hand laid itself gently on the beautiful alien girl's shoulder and she turned, green eyes bright with worry to face cool amethyst ones that said: he's fine; he's Robin, so he's fine by default. They also seemed to say: let him breathe.

Raven had a good way of communicating some things without words, as it was, and Starfire nodded softly, her earlier conversation with Robin still raw in her mind as her previous fervor about friendship pudding dimmed. It wasn't that she didn't honestly want to renew bonds of friendship. She did. It wasn't that she didn't dearly love Robin and Raven. She did. It was simply that the truth was Starfire had never felt anything for anyone like she had her leader, and it being only the night of their break-up—which it was clear no one else knew about—her heart ached, as might be expected of anyone...Tameranian, and human alike.

Starfire went about gathering the fallen mixing bowls and cups and so on.

Aqualad still stood where he and Raven had been standing before the incident, and watched carefully as Raven extended a hand to her leader, and he accepted without hesitation. The Atlantian concentrated very hardily on both entities and their feelings and what he could find of their thoughts.

From Raven he found, to his amusement, a wry kind of humor, slight concern quickly giving way to her usual deadpan manner of quirks...and curiosity?

He wasn't certain what that was for, but pushed it aside, focusing now on Robin.

From him Aqualad gathered a sense of gratitude from Robin to Raven, a pleasure that came of her offering to help him up, and...ah, there, an attraction...a desire...and smugness?

Again, Aqualad was thrown, but only for a moment. For as Robin got to his feet and Raven unconsciously withdrew her hand, he made the debatable mistake of letting his masked eyes flick over to Aqualad's unmasked ones.

And there the Atlantian read the reason for the 'smugness'...and, he almost laughed out loud.

The bird actually thought he was getting an upper hand with Raven, Aqualad realized, thought he was more important to her.

He probably is, Aqualad admitted to himself dourly. Raven had mentioned something about a bond and how it was odd that she could not communicate with Robin through it, as she had actually done so in the past. Aqualad had, at the time, given a polite nod and a quasi-pensive 'ah' in response, all the while thinking: luck of the draw.

For the fact was Raven _couldn't_ communicate with Robin and so had turned to him after his offer—luck of the draw indeed.

Aqualad drew his mind's wanderings back to the present just in time to see Raven turn to glance at him. As an honest reflex, he smiled and most of his assumptions confirmed themselves in the frustrated look of her leader standing behind her, giving him what could be classified as a rather unhealthy death glare.

If looks could kill...

"You slept on that one," the Atlantian stated, gesturing at the correct couch of three and Raven, surprised, nodded.

**_How did you know?_** She inquired and Aqualad sent her waves of approval. That thought was pretty clear of undercurrent thoughts, sound and nothing extra really got in her way of telepathic communication that time. Raven felt unusually touched by the approval, having thought she was far past the point of playing typical student to teacher, she found herself proved wrong. It was nice to be commended for work after all and she warmed a bit at Aqualad's positive resonations.

"It's called telepathy, perhaps you've heard of it?" he joked and he was only just aware of a sound behind him before a pillow from said couch decided to enthusiastically bean him on the head. The exchange was excessive in playful nature for Raven to say the least and Cyborg quirked an interested look from behind his magazine while Beast Boy did the less subtle thing of staring.

Robin too was staring, but then there was that damn mask so who could really tell?

Starfire stood to his left, one hand limply holding a wooden spoon, the other hanging loosely at her side.

She could tell exactly where the walking traffic light was looking.

And her earlier accusations still fresh in her own mind, she thought she had an idea why. Starfire was not stupid. Naiveté was vastly different from stupidity after all and even that continued to decrease, day by day. So it was that Star coughed softly to alert Robin back to himself, tear his gaze from the teasing going on between empath and telepath. He turned to her.

"Friend Robin, on Tameran it is of great importance when one finds the one with who they should like to be," Starfire said a little sadly.

"And what of arranged marriages?" Robin asked, defensive, but not unkind.

"Not everyone can be happy," she replied very, very quietly and Robin's defensiveness crumbled to the dust of self-loathing.

"Star...I'm sorry, I really am. I don't know what I've been thinking lately. I just..." Robin fisted a hand of his hair, as if to pull it out, frustrated and confused and angry all at once.

"As I was saying though, friend Robin, when one finds that other one, it is of importance that the one doing the finding should speak. Or the other may never know they have been found. I found you friend Robin," Starfire paused here and Robin opened his mouth to say something but she quickly finished, "And I hope there is someone else out there, maybe he will find me this time. But now I am certain. You have found someone too. And...I think you are afraid Aqualad has found that same someone...and friend Robin, that is all the more reason to say something to that someone. I am of Tameran, but we are not so very different from earthlings as all that. I do not...do not understand some things, but this I do...I think," she finished.

The leader of the titans stood flabbergasted. Never, not even in their own relationship had Starfire spoken at such length in one situation to him, and of all the times, he certainly hadn't expected it to be this time for her to do it. But here she surprised him again, something of the way her compassion exuded itself through her eyes and the softness of her voice when she spoke of 'someone'.

He wished he could love her _that_ way.

Part of him wanted to.

Part of him said to.

But letting her words sink in, precious and unexpected as most of the best things in life are, Robin looked over at Raven.

She stood on the other side of the couch now, face to face with Aqualad, and he could tell she wore her expression that she used when she was trying fiercely not to smile. He knew her well enough to see that. And he knew his own feelings well enough to see Aqualad and much of the Atlantian's intentions as the pair exchanged what appeared to be a friendly squabble over something...or over nothing.

He sighed.

What he wouldn't give for Starfire to be wrong...

But she was right.

So he said to her, turning back to meet her emerald gaze, "I hope that someone finds you sooner than you think." A moment passed and he could read the disappointment in her eyes that told him she too had hoped he could somehow manage to love her _that_ way, even now, even after all she had said, for it is in this way that hearts put themselves out to be built and broken. But then, reminiscent of before she did not hide her pain from him, but shelved it in the name of what she was making that godforsaken pudding for.

Their friendship, not so cliché or empty a stereotype as some might make it out to be, as the television and the tabloids could make it or the everyday melodrama could trivialize it...no, their real and true friendship, built on the love that allowed those other troublesome things to come alive.

She did it for that.

And Robin would be damned if he wasn't going to make sure every bite of that pudding of friendship didn't get eaten...even if he had to eat it all himself, a more than probably likelihood, he noted wryly as he noticed Cyborg casually exit the room and Beast Boy slink around the corner, new games in hand toward his room. Aqualad remained, but that was to be expected for some time, it appeared as Robin watched the girl of his imminent affections give a silent laugh at something the Atlantian said to her.

Has she ever been this quick to smile with him?

_Maybe you should give her a reason to_, his mind prodded him, impatient, and for once Robin didn't strive to ignore it.

Instead he nodded absently to himself...a reason?

He could do that.

Of course, there was Aqualad to contend with...but there was nothing wrong with a little healthy competition.

A slight smirk worked its way across Robin's features.

Maybe a little more than a little.

* * *

Sorry this took so long. And sorry for some error and lack of more action...hopefully soon. Review if you've got a sec, thanks! Always appreciated. 

-Rei


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for reading still, after that horrendous wait. It was irking me beyond belief not being able to write this, so I apologize if it's not quite so good, but the next chapter will be much better with any luck!

P.S. castle in the air has been very sick but she is better now and will be writing more for her stories, so leave her a review if you have a second, when I say sick, I mean very bad and she's down right now sooo...

In light of that, dedicated to castle in the air...I'm so glad you're finally healing.

Because I admire you, dedicated to: The Writer you Fools, Cherry Jade, and Alena-chan.

* * *

_Hush_

_Chapter Six (Yeah, finally!)_

* * *

"TITANS, GO!"

They dashed into action, as usual. Villain du jour?

Cinderblock and Plasmus.

**_A block head and a blob, oh goody_**, Raven cast a thought carelessly.

"I don't see what you're so excited about," Aqualad caught the thought cheekily as he ran below her toward Cinderblock who was already under attack from Starfire and Beast Boy—now in T-Rex form. The empath made a sound of scoffing in her mind, clearly audible to the Atlantian before diving out of herself and making a beeline straight for Plasmus.

This really was her job after all; no one else could take him apart quite like she could.

As she felt his being separate she returned to her body in time to see the Cyborg deliver a dead-center hit with his cannon. The bionic man grinned, "Boo-yah!" Aqualad stood to the side next to Beast Boy and Starfire—who clapped as Starfire would—and Robin stood to the far side.

And it was like any other day: villains make the stupid mistake of coming out. Titans get alerted and the villains get taken out. And that's that.

Well, almost.

Raven's brow knit in confusion as a strange white and red wall shot up between her and the other titans. Robin ran forward, concern evident even as Raven looked for another way out. She turned to go the other way. Another glowing wall shot up. She flew up only to have a veritable ceiling shoot over her so fast she ran into it.

Something like fire and lightning jolted through her and her heart must have stopped for a moment because she couldn't breathe. She felt herself falling.

"No!" Robin dashed forward but Starfire held him back.

"Friend Robin, no! You cannot touch it! You cannot help her that way! We must find another!" she struggled to reason with the leader even as he refused to listen.

"Raven!" Robin shouted to her but there was no response. He struggled harder. Aqualad stared, aghast and cold with an undetermined amount of fear as he closed his eyes in concentration. Maybe she couldn't 'hear' them...but telepathy was another kind of hearing.

_Raven, wake up! Catch yourself Raven! We can't get through. Raven! RAVEN!_

The wind rushing past her was her first sensation as her eyes snapped open and she swerved in the air, stopping a bare two feet above the concrete. She heard sighs of relief and turned to face her friends. Starfire was shooting starbolts at one side of it while Cyborg tried his cannon, both to no visible avail. Robin stood, fists clenched to one side, Beast Boy with a hand on his shoulder as both a warning and a preventative measure. There was no reason for Robin to injure himself in a way they already knew would happen.

"Raven," he took one cautious step closer to the wall and it crackled and spat like small explosions. A couple sparks made cuts on his skin and burns across his chest, but he didn't really notice. Raven did.

Robin, stop, she motioned, her gesture conveying more ease than she felt. He stopped. For some reason she'd always had that power over him.

"Raven can you get through the ground?" Aqualad appeared at Robin's shoulder. Rather than replying, Raven simply concentrated. Her trademark glow surrounded her as she seemed to disappear in the form of a Raven. Shortly she reappeared outside of it.

"That was quick thinking," Cyborg praised, and Aqualad shrugged.

"Just glad it worked," he said. Raven rubbed her temples absently and Robin took this moment to approach her.

"Are you okay?" It was one of those questions that asked a little more than it said. She gazed levelly at him, tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear. There were visible burn marks on her neck and part of her shoulder where her leotard had been burned away. Her cloak was tattered and her face a little smudged from the burns. But she nodded to him.

**_I'm fine, but this is a little elaborate for Plasmus and Cinderblock_**, Raven noted to herself as she waved a dismissive hand at her leader in an effort to make him stop wearing that horribly worried look. But she ruined the façade as she winced, trying to readjust her posture. Maybe she wasn't so fine... she felt very weak and a little dizzy...

"Titans, so good to see your delightful faces, all...6 of you is it?"

All six titans turned.

"What are you doing here?" Robin's voice only reached that tone and loathing with one entity the other titans knew of and from the sound of the voice, he was right...but where...

"Up here, titans," Slade eyed them all speculatively, standing cockily on the edge of the nearest skyscraper. "What, no warm welcome?" he taunted. Glares from all sides met the long-time villain and psychopath. "Ah, but I suppose some of you are finding it a little more...difficult to say...anything at all, isn't that right, little Raven?" He leapt down, not even grunting with the effort as he landed with an almost inhuman agility. The other titans immediately moved in between him and Raven, who for her part was baffled.

Trigon was gone—pretty much—and that was about all that was interesting about her that she knew of...of interest to villains in any case. Her vision swam violently with a harsh abruptness in the middle of her thought however and she felt herself stumble.

"Back off Slade," Robin bit out. Behind him stood Starfire, then Beast Boy, then Cyborg, and then Aqualad who was helping Raven to keep on her feet. Slade's laughter cut like a cold wind through the empty street.

"I'll indulge you, my ex-apprentice, but I'd be careful with your bird. You wouldn't want her to fly away to a new home, would you?" He leaned in closer to Robin, mask leering at him darkly as he added in a hiss, "She might never come back." Resolve snapping, Robin lashed out but Slade made a quick side-step and, to the confusion and horror of the titans, began to glow an eerie red as a black vortex opened behind him and he disappeared into it, ever smug mask fading slowly away into nothing.

"Since when can Slade do that?" Beast Boy echoed words from over a year ago. All turned questioning eyes to Raven, who shook her head, which turned out to be a mistake. The floor heaved up under her and she fell this time. Very vaguely she was aware of a pair of strong arms catching her and holding her. Voices called to her, her friends, she guessed murkily. Somewhere in her blurring consciousness she also heard a terrible laughter, high and empty, long and devilish...worse than any sound she'd ever heard.

And then there was darkness.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When she awoke she was in the med room of Titans' Tower. Not surprised, she shifted a little, blinking and trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She bit her lip. Her body still ached like it had been broken even though it had only been a strange burn...

She examined her exposed arms and wrists, her legs too—damn hospital gown. Why'd they put her in this thing? Leave it to Raven, she still had enough of her usual nature to scowl at her current attire with the deepest of misgivings. The burns on her legs looked like angry red scratches, as did the ones on her right arm. There were none on her left that she could find. On her right lower thigh there was a long red mark, a burn, but she found this odd because she'd been nearly positive it was her whole body that got the shock. So why was most of the rest of her body alright? She might have examined this further but company kept her from doing so.

The electric door opened and Robin came in.

Well, more accurately, he stood in the doorway.

"...how are you feeling?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Raven shrugged without feeling as if to say: fine, without meaning it, and her leader graced her with an equally empty laugh.

"I thought you might," he said and came in all the way, to the point that now Raven could see his other arm, previously hidden. He carried under his arm a book and in the same hand, a mug of tea. Her expression softened.

**_You know me too well_**, she mused with an odd gentleness as she accepted the tea. Robin placed the book on the stand to Raven's left.

"We have a bond," he replied gently, not in response to her thoughts, for he could not hear them, but more as a statement, an explanation. Hiis voice held more emotion than he'd meant to show, however, and Raven's attention sharpened as she looked at her leader.

She mouthed 'How are the others?' to him and Robin shrugged.

Raven took a sip of her tea.

"Fine, they're fine. _He_ was—they were—we were all very worried," Robin cut himself off as his eyes fell to focus on the floor. 'He' was of course, Aqualad. The Atlantian had wanted to stay there until the sorceress woke, but Robin had exercised his leader role and said that what Raven needed was space, and sleep, not a keeper. The Atlantian had, however begrudgingly, agreed and let it drop. At this thought, Robin shifted his weight absently.

Misreading his actions, for once, Raven waved her free hand as if to restate she was fine, and Robin nodded with an equally dismissive air.

"Yes, I know. You're 'fine', he said and shot her a look.

Raven arched a brow as if to challenge him.

"What? I don't believe you. It's not the first time," he said and Raven took another sip of her tea, averting her gaze to the bed sheets in a disgruntled huff.

**_Damn observant leaders_**, she thought darkly, the warmth of the tea soothing her muscles from the inside out, just a bit.

"I'm worried about you," Robin said at last but that was all, and then silence ensued again. The sorceress sipped at her tea. The boy wonder shifted his weight again. Sip. Shift. Sip. Shift.

Raven closed her eyes as she set the empty mug on the night stand next to the book. So he was worried about her? She wanted to tell him he didn't need to be, that she could take care of herself—regardless of the most recent event's results. But of course, she couldn't. And the truth was she feared her own lies a little more than usual for once.

Without her words, without the usual use of her power controlled by voice and instinct, could she truly take care of herself?

Should she even be with the team?

Her heart hardened at the thought of having to leave and her hands wound themselves in the white sheets around her. Robin watched her carefully from behind his mask, always that small, safe distance from her—that was what the mask was for him and her. It wasn't a cover-up since she knew his eyes from all that time ago with the Slade hallucinations, but it did provide a definitive barrier. Still, as he watched her now, he wondered at their distance.

Before he really computed his actions he was standing right next to her side and had lifted her chin with his hand.

"Hey," he smiled. Raven's shock won over her default-rage at having her personal space so clearly invaded. She stared, wide-eyed as a child she didn't quite remember being. "You're not going anywhere," he said gently.

And Raven reconsidered the possibility of Robin's knack for telepathy.

His face was very close and she wasn't certain if it was her imagination or not, but she could see his eyes: pools of the ocean during a storm.

Fitting, she thought absently.

She wanted to ask him why he was so near.

Robin, for his part, was not sure what possessed him beyond the pure uncertainty of what was to come but instinct and the uncontrolled edges of his feelings seemed to take over as he tilted Raven's chin up slightly and leaned closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer...

And the mug on the nightstand shattered into a million pieces along with the light. Robin covered himself and Raven as best he could with his cape and cursed himself internally.

"Sorry…I...I'll go get another bulb," he said in the darkness. Raven was aware of how close his voice sounded, how it almost felt like his lips brushed past her cheek when he said those awkward words, and how his cape felt as it slid off of her shoulders. "Back in a second," he said over his shoulder and jammed something in the door to keep it open so light might come in from the hall, so Raven wouldn't be in the dark. Before she could do anything, he had hurried away.

And he wasn't back in a second. Starfire came instead. In addition to the new light bulb, the Tamaranian had another cloak, and leotard for Raven. And perhaps Robin had sent Starfire instead because of the implications of her needing help to get dressed again...or something.

But a voice in the back of Raven's mind told her different.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raven sighed a soundless sigh.

She stood at the wide window in the common room of Titans' Tower. Winter was approaching early, it seemed as she pressed the flat of her hand against the glass to feel its coldness.

A week passed and Raven was feeling better, almost back to normal. Robin, it seemed, was avoiding her and she couldn't bring herself to seek him out after their near-incident.

And she wasn't even sure it was an incident to begin with, or what might have happened had her emotions not picked that time to skyrocket...and that was another thing, what had done that? Surely her emotions weren't suggesting that she...

Her eyes widened and then narrowed with the same speed.

_**No way. **_

A patented scowl of deepest displeasure soon followed.

**_I didn't...he doesn't_**...her thoughts got messy after that, the color of traffic lights and a dark room.

The sorceress began to pace, cat-like, a little nervous, and very, very perturbed. She didn't want to think about this right now...her voice was her first priority she told herself and buried any further musings over her team leader with about twenty feet of other more tangible problems. For instance, she'd found no spell, no magic of any kind that might help her regain her voice.

And on top of annoying the Hell out of her, it worried her.

Even with the Atlantian's lessons, through which Raven was now so well versed in telepathy that almost all her undercurrents of thought had been duly muted. Now she could communicate clearly with him, and it felt almost natural.

But that worried her too.

What if, perhaps, she forgot the way to speak? It was something she might have laughed at prior to her predicament. How could one simply forget? But Raven knew well the conflicts of disuse and she took them, logically, into account now.

Still...perhaps she would find the spell today. Or not...whatever. She felt like hitting her head on something sharp, or blunt with great zeal, but refrained. Perhaps things would sort themselves out...not that they ever had before...

She sighed again. This pessimism might just kill her.

If Slade and whatever cockamamie plot he'd thought up now didn't first. At this thought, her pulse skipped nervously. She'd never been caught so off guard before...and that strange power the villain had yielded was not Trigon's power. That she would recognize in a light-speed second. But the enigmatic nature of it concerned her. She could not recall anything in her readings of the power to open rifts in space relative to weird red auras and strange red electric-fire shields.

**_What are you planning, Slade?_** She wondered absently, darkly and tried then to put him from her mind. She didn't need this right now.

Raven paused in her pacing and took another long stare through the window at the bay. It was nearly the same blue as the sky, practically melting into each other. A smile, soft and honest, tugged at her lips and she brought her hand to her mouth, thoughtful. Since she'd been taking lessons with Aqualad, the Atlantian seemed rather fiercely intent on not only helping her learn to control her thoughts, but to have fun...or as close as Raven would ever come to having fun. A few more smiles her and there, a silent laugh, a twinkle of the eyes, all these Raven saw he tried to elicit from her, successful more often than not. In fact, he'd gotten so successful at it that here she found herself smiling all of her own accord...even, apparently, directly considering the intentions of an at-large psychopath with otherworldly new powers.

Go figure.

Raven supposed she owed the Atlantian for his kindness and patience. It was truly a gift at this time, for her. His presence made things feel calm, like the sea on a clear day and the empath highly suspected this was because he projected that feeling onto her. But that was, for some reason, okay with her.

There were few people who had ever been able to help her feel truly at peace, even for a moment...

"How are we feeling today?"

The voice of the person of her thoughts sounded.

Raven turned as Aqualad approached her, his almost always-in-place smile/smirk greeting her.

**_Don't say 'we'. It makes me feel like I'm in a hospital...or an asylum...and like you're a doctor_**, Raven deadpanned and though he laughed in reply, Aqualad also nodded his head.

"Alright, sorry. How are you though? You look like a lioness in a cage," he remarked.

**_How long have you been in this room?_** Raven arched a brow and turned back to face the view of the bay. Sometimes she couldn't help but be disconcerted by his intense kindness, as with Robin and his intense sense of justice. They each emanated their thoughts through look and action, so Raven found it comforting to look elsewhere when speaking with either one.

Not that she'd had the chance to talk to the latter for some time.

He'd been...dare she say, avoiding her...she suspected. She noted the Atlantian as he shifted to stand beside her.

"Long enough to make that simile," he replied and she rolled her eyes.

**_I see_**. Raven absently leaned her forehead against the glass.

"So, something troubling you?" Aqualad asked and opted to sit with his back against the window, looking up at his prodigal student—and potential love interest, even if she didn't know it still. She gazed sideways and down at him.

**_Do you think I'll find a counter-curse? _**Her eyes closed and Aqualad frowned deeply. So she was fearful? He supposed he should have sensed it himself, but fear not being a thing he had honestly ever associated with Raven—except in the cases she instilled the fear—since she seemed so very...immune.

But that was a silly assumption. He scrutinized her as thoroughly as possible while Raven's eyes remained shut. There was the slight furrow of the brow—worry—and the slight down, uneven turn of her mouth—fear and uncertainty...and anger?

His frown deepened. Just what was she...

Oh. He saw.

"Raven," he said gently and her eyes opened half-way.

**_What?_** He almost laughed, but didn't quite. This was very much the first face of Raven he had come to know—monosyllabic and a little sarcastic for no particular reason. He shook his head at her, which earned him a faint glare and then he sighed.

"Don't be angry at yourself for feeling fear."

Raven's eyes widened all the way.

**_I'm not,_** she responded and Aqualad stared up at her skeptically.

"Raven, give me a little credit here," he said and she felt guilt almost before he finished saying it. He was right. He would know whether she wanted him to or not. Sometimes she forgot, even after all this time, that he was not like the others who could be fooled or put off by a look or gesture of indifference. He saw a bit too much for that sort of ploy to work.

**_I'm not afraid of him_**, she clarified instead and Aqualad nodded.

"I'm not surprised. But you're afraid of something. Will you tell me?" His eyes bore into hers and Raven marveled at his candid nature with her. Few and far between dared to cross such dangerous grounds with her...probing for answers was not usually something that ended prettily with Raven.

But she found herself not angry...not irritated...rather...chastened maybe, by his frankness.

Chastened?

**_A first time for everything, I guess_**, she mused and Aqualad laughed but not unkindly.

"Yes, I think so," he said and then waited. Half of him expected her to just shake her head and not answer at all. The other half of him hoped for more than that. In all his time at the tower, he hadn't been able to bring himself to act any further on his feelings and while he discerned Robin hadn't either, Aqualad also discerned it was much for the same reasons. They both found random things getting in their way—circumstances being what they now seemed to be, what with Slade's mysterious powers and targeting Raven once more.

It simply wasn't time...

But every time he got near her he found even his well disciplined resolve to be patient crumble just a bit. There was something, or several things rather, that simply drew him to her...a tilt of her head, the way she wrinkled her nose when something displeased her rather than her daily scowl that was less an expression, more just her default mode. It was maybe in the way that her smiles were now more frequent, in the way that he felt her warmth in small time spans when they were a little nearer than they needed to be, whether or not she noticed. He certainly did.

Her mind's voice broke into his thoughts, which he did well to keep heavily guarded from her.

**_I am afraid of the harm I may cause by staying_**, she whispered to his mind and heart and the Atlantian stood slowly, looking down thoughtfully at the heliotrope haired sorceress.

"Raven, let me tell you something," he said, all kindness and leaned his forehead against hers as a dear friend might—or someone more. "You won't be doing any harm by staying. It's the harm that might occur if you don't stay, that you should consider."

_**But I—**_

"You're an important member of this team. I can see that, and the others can too which is what you should really take into account. I'm just here for you after all," he rushed his words a bit but Raven caught them all, hanging onto his last ones.

_**For me?**_

"I'm always here for you," he said, evasive but no less truthful. "And so are the others," he added and stepped back a pace.

That kind of nearness reminded him why he usually didn't get quite so near.

The desire to kiss her was just a bit overwhelming.

Another thought the Atlantian kept tactfully to himself.

**_I don't know if it's worth it,_** Raven admitted, pulling her cloak tighter around herself absently.

"Maybe some day you will," Aqualad said and stared out at the bay again. Raven did the same and for a few minutes all the sound was their soft, even breathing mingling.

**_Winter's coming. Do you want to return home yet?_** Raven asked, trying to keep the degree of sadness she felt out of it. Part of her was confused with that sadness. Part of her understood it...even if it couldn't put a name to it yet.

"Do you want me to go?" Aqualad asked, voice carefully even but eyes betraying much of what he did not say. Raven shook her head immediately.

**_I just thought...you've helped so much...I don't want to make you feel you have to stay._**

Aqualad refrained from rolling his eyes. Have to stay?

Sheesh.

She really wouldn't ever get it, unless he told her, he realized more fully now.

Really..._make _him stay?

He refrained once more from rolling his eyes.

"I'll be glad to stay a while longer, if the titans will have me," he said.

_**We will**_, she replied and they both stared back out at the bay again.

Robin, having earlier forgotten a file on the kitchen breakfast counter took this moment to step into the room. His steps, quiet as usual and not preceded by a swishing door did not alert the Atlantian or the empath. His eyes flickered over the pair, standing, he thought, unnecessarily close.

Close.

He'd been so close...millimeters away...and then...

Robin ran a hand through his hair as he picked up the file with his other hand and silently made his way back to his research lab.

Close to what? His inner voice mocked. Kissing her? Big deal.

It is a big deal, Robin argued...with himself to his own disturbance as he entered the research lab, door locking behind him automatically.

And now he's close, the inner voice kept on coming.

Oh shut up.

You've been avoiding her. Serves you right. Coward.

I'm not. It's just not the right time.

The Atlantian will win her and then she'll never even know your feelings existed.

Maybe it's better that way.

The inner voice had nothing to say to that and Robin, sighing, buried his face in his hands after tossing the file on top of one of his many haphazard stacks of files.

He had tried approaching her several times since that day in the med lab, but each time there was an interference—usually in the form of Aqualad, who whether or not he planned it, was doing an excellent job of shutting the boy wonder out.

And then there were a couple times when they had to go out on assignments, at which point he usually made indirect suggestions for Raven to stay behind, at which point she caught on, shot daggers at him, and he relented and they set off in pairs instead.

And of course because in a pinch Aqualad was the only one who had immediate communication with her, Raven went with him.

So things went, and each time Robin's nerves became edgier and edgier. Slade was no fool, unfortunately and his sadistic side seemed to grow with every passing encounter. The fact that Raven was his target did not help matters.

Robin wished it was he who has the target, but no such luck. Slade had, of course, already had his fun with him. The boy wonder's jaw clenched.

That definitely went on his 'biggest mistakes of my multiple lives' list.

Without even looking he punched in a couple of key codes and his disturbingly extensive files and data and codes on Slade shot up on the high definition laser screens all around the room. They spanned all the screens and kept on going for quite some time.

And still, Robin knew so little.

Sometimes he thought he might go mad.

All he knew was much what he knew the first time he truly met Slade. The man was nuts, one. He was good at his trade, two. And he was, without a doubt, very, very sadistic, three.

Robin wanted to keep Raven safe.

Robin wanted to tell Raven he liked her...that he might love her...that with each passing day that he couldn't find the words or time or moment to be with her, part of him felt like it was mutating into something horrible and unnamed.

Robin wanted a chance.

But in the midst of the Slade affair, those things seemed slim and he couldn't take chances. So instead of seeking her out, Robin set into looking for more information on Slade, more on his questionable new powers, more anything...

Anything to keep her safe.

As for Aqualad...well, if he could make her happy...

Robin's heartbeat was loud in his ears.

If Aqualad made her happy...

A loud and shrill beep signaled new potential information on the subject—Slade—and Robin turned to the screens fully.

Well, if he made her happy, then Robin supposed, perhaps it was his duty as her leader and friend to make her safe.

His feelings, it seemed, would have to wait.

* * *

Sorry it took so long. Work and school and writer's block equal much difficulty in getting new chapters out! Aiyaaaa!

Anyways, thanks to anyone who's stayed with this story so long. So we've got more plot now yippee. It's not just attempted humor and stuff, though there will be much more of that as a break probably next chapter, which will be out much sooner, promise.

A review is always great but if you're still reading, hey that's enough for me!

:smile:

-Rei


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